This invention relates generally to the method and apparatus for supporting roof trusses, floor joists and other building frame assemblies during building construction.
During the process of building a wood structure such as apartment buildings or single family homes, it is first necessary to construct the walls of appropriate dimensions after which prefabricated roof trusses are either brought to the construction site or are built on the premises. Roof trusses are used and are needed to support the sheathing of the roof and to provide structural integrity. Roof sheathing takes the form of sized sheets of plywood or other material which are nailed to the trusses to form the roofing surface to which shingles, rain gutters and other devices are attached. The weight of this roofing surface requires a supporting structure which is the primary function of the support trusses.
The number of stacked trusses needed to safely support the roof sheathing is generally that number which will fit within the structures' length with a standard separation of 24 inches, more or less. For example, a typical single family home might be 40 feet (480 inches) in length. If trusses are to be separated by 24 inches, a total of 20 trusses would be required. This would include the end gable trusses provided at each end of the structure in addition to those in between. This would mean a total of 18 support trusses are positioned atop the wall frame.
After the end gable trusses are mounted in upright position, the other trusses are generally placed in an upright position against one of the end gable trusses or laid down between the wall frames at a position near one of the end trusses. The first intermediate truss on top of the stack is moved into position 24 inches from the other end gable truss. The lower portion of the intermediate truss is then attached to the wall frame and a carpenter standing within the structure is then handed a 1".times.3" board from an assistant on the ground. The carpenter measures and marks the 1".times.3" board at 24 inch centers and nails the board at the marked points on the upper portions of the front gable truss and the intermediate truss to hold it in place at this 24" spacing. This process is repeated, moving 24 inches from each preceding truss, until the other gable truss is reached at the other end of the structure. This prior technique is clearly shown in Allen U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,945 where wood spacers separate each support truss.
When all support trusses are in their respective positions, the roof sheathing is ready to be attached over and between the tops of the end gable trusses and intermediate trusses. As the sheathing is laid over and nailed to the trusses, a point is reached at which the 1".times.3" support boards must be removed to enable the sheathing to be nailed to the trusses flush with those sheathing sections that already have been nailed down. This process requires much time and effort to remove the 1".times.3" boards which also are usually damaged during removal to the point they must be discarded. In addition to time required, the damaged 1".times.3" boards are quite expensive. After the support boards are removed, the sheathing itself supplies the needed structural support for each of the support trusses on top of the frame.